a family of friends
by Sandra Elders
Summary: It's been years since the gAang defeated the fire lord. Now, Firelord Zuko's son is a few days away from being crowned prince and the gang is getting together for the celebration.


Subject Avatar The Last Airbender  
Pairings, Aang X Katara, Toph X The Duke, Sokka X Suki, Zuko X Mai Momo X Coco (a leamer i made up)

"Aang come on, we'll be late." Katara said placing a flower at the back of her head. She'd done so for years now.

"Hey are you guys coming, we still gotta pick up Toph and The Duke." Sokka said rushing the married couple along.

"I don't know why you still call him The Duke, he's married now, I think you can drop the The."

"Oh no, I tried that at their wedding three years ago. If you want Toph to metal bend you to a tree with a metal wedding arch, you go ahead." He said, then shivered and walked outside, two young children, with two young lemurs on their shoulders nearly knocking him down on his way out.

"Mom, dad, hurry up where going to be late." said their oldest child, a son that they named Gyatso after Aang's guardian. Katara smiled at her little water bender.

"Yea, Mommie, Daddy takes longer to get ready than you do, and he doesn't even have hair." said their younger child, a daughter named Kya, after Katara's mother. For one hundred and sixteen years, Aang had been the last air bender, but now, their were two. Katara had been shocked the first time their son used water bending, thinking that since she and Aang were born different Elements. That their children wouldn't be benders. But that was nothing compared to the shock she received last summer when, then five year old, Kya used air bending for the first time.

Never before to her knowledge had siblings been born to different elements. Of course with their father being the Avatar she figured anything was possible. The door to their bedroom opened and out stepped Aang dressed in his monk garb, so handsome.

"Wow daddy, what are you wearing. Kya asked, this being the first time she had seen her father in his monk attire. She knew of her heritage, even had some basic training by her father, but she had not yet received her tattoos having only turned six three weeks ago, and her father had not received his until he was eight. He started to tell her about it when Suki entered. Her and Sokka's youngest daughter Kei on her hip and their rambunctious son Hataku running around by her feet, nearly tripping her. Katara couldn't help but laugh.

"He really is his father's son, isn't he Suki." Suki nodded while laughing.

"Listen guys, I don't mean to fuss or anything, but Appa's saddled, and Momo's other children are starting to bother him." She stated.

Momo had met a nice lemur that Aang had named Coco, Katara laughed, her and Momo have five children. Gyatso's pet Lolo, Kya's pet Nono, then there was Bobo Soso, and Hey, Hataku had named him. Then there was Appa, he was the last of his kind. The bond between the air nomads and their sky bison's were so strong, that the ones who survived the fire nations attack shortly died out from the loss of their companions.

"Come on Kya, everyone's waiting, I'll tell you the story later." Aang said hefting his daughter onto his shoulders. Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Suki had debated for months where to live. They figured that Suki wouldn't be able to survive the cold of the south pole. And frankly Kyoshi was out of the question seeing as how the crazy foamy mouth guy made Aang nervous. So in the end they decided on Ba Sing Se.

Toph had moved back to her home town and taken over Master Yu's earth bending academy. Where her students were taught to wait, and listen before striking. Three years ago Toph and Duke, or The Duke were married, everyone kept in contact as often as possible. Their bonds of friendship far too strong to break.

As for Zuko, well they were in the way to see him now. More specifically his son, Mako. He was being crowned prince the next day and none wanted to miss the celebration. They all walked outside and up to Appa.

"You going to be able to handle everyone if we promise to give you plenty of breaks?" Katara asked and Appa answered with a small roar. Katara knew they could count on Appa for anything as long as there was no need to go underground. She gave his fur a quick kiss.

"Ok kids come here," Sokka said after Suki and Kei were in place hefting the other three into the saddle, once everyone was in Aang climbed onto Appa's head and grabbed the reigns, whispered something to his old friend then it was time.

"Yip yip."

Subject Avatar The Last Airbender  
Pairings, Aang X Katara, Toph X The Duke, Sokka X Suki, Zuko X Mai Momo X Coco (a leamer i made up)  
The ride from Ba Sing Se to Toph's home took roughly two hours. The children fell asleep shortly after leaving, they always did. Aang gently passed the sleeping Kya to Katara while, Sokka passed Kei to Suki before they each grabbed their sons. Even with their children in hand it was still easy to get down to the ground as Aang had created a set of stairs out of the earth around them. Toph hadn't moved back into the home she had shared with her family, instead her and The Duke, well mostly her, built a nice sized home out of the earth near the cave where she had first learned earth bending.

Katara looked toward the entrance of the home as Duke stepped out the front. It had been nearly eight and a half months since they'd seen their friends. But nothing could have prepared Katara for what she saw next. Behind her husband Toph walked out, belly swollen to the point it was about to pop. Katara screamed and giggled. She sat her daughter down gently and then ran over to her friend. As she ran by she noticed Aang nudge Sokka then her brother's jaw hit the floor.

"Why didn't you tell us?" She said threw her smile, giggling like a small child.

"I didn't want you and Twinkletoes to drop what you were doing and rush over here. We can handle it" She said and began to slowly waddle her way back in the house. Katara laughed lightly, she went back and lifted her still napping daughter and carried her inside. "Just lay them down in there." She said pointing to a room across the way where four rectangular shaped rock beds had just appeared. "There are mats in the back" She said before setting herself down at the table, her husband not far behind. Katara laid down her daughter and watched the others lay down the rest of the children, then went to set next to Toph.

"I figure we'll let Appa and the kids rest a while, then we'll head out. You good to travel Toph?" Aang said making a stool out of the earth and setting upon it. Suki took the other seat at the table and Sokka leaned up against the wall.

"Long as we don't go to fast, or have to make any evasive maneuvers, I'll be fine." She said as Momo, Coco, Lolo,Nono Bobo Soso and Hey, came running threw the doorway. The kids resting respectively at Toph's feet, Momo and Coco perched on each of her shoulders. "I see you brought the whole group." She said regarding the seven lemurs, four people, and four children in her home.

"Well Mako hasn't met Coco and Momo's kids yet. Plus, it never feels right leaving Momo behind, and now that he has Coco and the kids, well we never travel lightly anymore." Aang said smiling.

"Speaking of kids, you guys are starting a zoo of your own aren't you." She said regarding the fact that both Aang and Katara, and Sokka and Suki had two children each.

"It practically is a zoo around our place, only thing missing at our house are the Elephant lions." Sokka said laughing.

"Could you imagine eleven years ago we'd be setting here like this." Katara said laughing. "We were just starting out, half of us didn't even know each other, Fire lord Zuko was a banished prince bent on capturing Aang."

"Remember at our wedding when Aang called Zuko Zuzu and he chased him all around the canyon." Toph said and everyone started laughing.

"Yea, he didn't stop until Hataku's boomerang hit him in the head." Sokka said nearly rolling on the floor with laughter.

"Yea and he said sorry uncle Zuzu." Aang said laughing. Hataku had definitely inherited his fathers sense of humor.

...

They rested there for a few hours and once the children were awake all seventeen of them boarded Appa and made their way to the fire nation. The trek was slow, as they were trying to be careful in Toph's delicate condition and be mindful that this was the most weight Appa had ever carried. When they reached their destination the sun was going down over the palace as everyone dismounted. Fire lord Zuko and his son Mako came out to great them.

"It's a pleasure to see you all a," Zuko cut off his sentence as he noticed Toph's swollen belly. "Should I inform the healers?" He asked with a laugh.

"Don't worry hot pants, I ain't gonna pop yet." She said walking past him to set on one of the balcony's benches.

"Uncle Zuko," the kids said nearly in unison, all four rushing over to him and wrapping their arms around what ever they could reach, which worked out pretty well since they were all different heights, being three, six, eight, and ten years old. Then Momo and his family started climbing on him until you could barely see any of him sticking threw.

"Alright kids, give Uncle Zuko some breathing room." Katara said threw her laughter and the kids ran over and started playing with Mako.

"Hey hot pants, you know I've been thinking lately, and there's something I owe you," Toph said and Zuko turned to her confused.

"What are you talking about Toph you don't owe me anyt," he said and was cut off as the ground shifted beneath him causing him to fall flat on his face. Seeing this his guards started to rush over but he stood up and shook it off.

"No, guys it's alright, trust me that was a long time coming."

"That's for burning my feet, I would have felt bad if I hadn't taken care of that before the baby was born." She said as Sokka fell to the ground laughing hysterically.

...

"Being the crowned prince means lots of responsibilities. Responsibility to your country, to your family, but above all you have a responsibility to your self. It took me many years to learn, the true meaning of honor. Doing what is right, no mater what the personal cost, is the only path to honor. My greatest hope for you my son. Is that you continue the era of peace that we all enjoy, after I have gone." Fire lord Zuko said as he addressed his son in front of his people. As everyone cheered the family heirloom crown was placed atop his Mako's head.

...

"Ok guys say good bye," Katara said as all the children moaned. All the grownups said their goodbyes, with their promises of getting together later for some such activity. Then it was time to get to their next adventure. "It always feels weird when we separate like this." She said with a sigh petting Bobo who had laid down next to her.

"Well you know Zuko did say he had homes for us already picked out just right down the way from the palace." Sokka said laying back right before Hataku jumped into his lap effectively knocking the breath out of him.

"Maybe in a year or so after I drop this thing, I just might take him up on that. Things were starting to get boring." Toph said leaning back on The Duke for comfort.

"The kids do love it there, I mean Ba Sing Se's still class divided, it's not as bad as it once was, and the king did have all the inner walls torn down so people from all walks of life could live in whatever section they saw fit, but most of the people are still used to the way things were, most of the children that the kids go to school with are high society, and lets face it our bunch, well." Aang said as Hataku blew his nose on Gyatso's shirt, and in her brothers deference Kya sneezed, and having inherited her father's powerful sneezes, she nearly sneezed him right off out of the saddle.

"Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, I mean sure it's hot, but we have a lot of great memories there, and I think the children could benefit from the culture of the people of the fire nation." Katara said then turned to her brother, and with a serious look added. "As long as Sokka doesn't bring out the old beard and start acting like Wang Fire again." She said and as she did she noticed him stuffing something hairy back into his pocket.

"It sounds good to me, the Kyoshi warriors spend more time in the fire nation than they do in Ba Sing Se anyway, and I was thinking about joining back up with them when Kei turned four."

"Then it's settled, we'll give Toph time to get things in order, and then we'll all move to the fire nation, it doesn't really matter as long as we stay together. We're a team. And I know that the worlds new found peace will last as long as we are together." Aang said heroically which made everyone start laughing again. A few moments passed and everyone settled down for the ride, Kya crawled over and laid her head in her mother's lap.

"Mommy," She said after a moment.

"Yes sweetie," Katara said running her hand threw her daughter's brown hair.

"Where do baby's come from?"

The end


End file.
